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Globalisation and health: the need for a global vision
Ted Schrecker1, Ronald Labonté, Roberto De Vogli
1Institute of Population Health, University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Lancet (London, England)
|November 11, 2008
Summary
Globalisation, defined economically, does not automatically reduce health inequities. Instead, it creates four dynamics that widen health disparities, necessitating targeted policies for redistribution, regulation, and rights.
Area of Science:
- Global Health
- Health Economics
- Sociology
Background:
- The World Health Organization Commission on Social Determinants of Health (CSDH) identifies reducing health inequities as an ethical imperative.
- Evidence from the Globalization Knowledge Network, supporting the CSDH, informs this analysis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To define globalisation in economic terms and critically assess its impact on health inequities.
- To identify the mechanisms through which contemporary globalisation exacerbates health disparities.
Main Methods:
- Multidisciplinary evidence synthesis from the Globalization Knowledge Network.
- Economic definition and analysis of globalisation's dynamics.
- Review of policy approaches for health equity.
Main Results:
- Globalisation, primarily defined by economic factors, does not inherently lead to improved health outcomes or reduced inequities.
- Four key disequalising dynamics of contemporary globalisation identified: global production reorganisation, binding trade agreements, financial capital mobility, and debt crises.
- Generic policies for health equity are framed around redistribution, regulation, and rights.
Conclusions:
- Contemporary globalisation presents significant intellectual and institutional challenges to reducing health inequities.
- Proactive and targeted strategies are required to counteract the disequalising effects of globalisation on health.
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